Extremely heavy loads such a machinery, equipment, presses, buildings, bridges, etc., are subjected to shock and vibration and are susceptible to misalignment due to these forces and/or due to settling including settling of the foundation. Proper alignment, including leveling, flatness, and the like, is essential in order to operate efficiently, economically and safely.
The prior art discloses a number of adjustable mountings to correct for out-of-level or out-of-flatness conditions. This prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,332,647 to Young; U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,427 to Young; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,436 to Young et al., which disclose an adjustment member engagable with a support member for the machine footing and maintained in spaced relationship from a bearing member. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,436, a hydraulic cylinder is disposed between the support member and bearing member, and when actuated relieves at least a portion of the load assumed by the adjustment member. The adjustment member can now be turned or rotated to adjust the out-of-level condition, and once corrected, the cylinder can be drained and the load returned to the adjustment member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,991 to Delam discloses a support system for machines such as a turbogenerator connected by a common drive shaft and arranged on a base plate comprising a hydraulic cylinder and spring means for regulating or adjusting any spatial relationship between members, and then a blocking device or wedge is inserted to fill the space and decrease the load on the regulating members.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,034 relates to a screw mechanism that adjusts the elevation of two adjacent corners of a table simultaneously and equally by means of one control. The hydraulic cylinder relieves the load on the screw mechanism to make it easier to turn.
In accordance with the teachings of the aforesaid U.S. patents, the hydraulic cylinder is first actuated to lift a portion of the load; and then as a second, separate step the adjustment member or spacer is adjusted; and in a third step, the hydraulic cylinder is deactivated. In each situation, the lifting means (e.g. jack) is actuated separately from the adjustment means; that is, there is no teaching or suggestion that one function is actuated in direct response to another function--there is no force feedback actuation. When a mounting is to be adjusted, these three separate steps or functions frequently have to be repeated at each mounting point in order to achieve any change or adjustment in elevation. Although support systems or mountings of this type have been successful commercially, they are nevertheless time consuming, difficult to manipulate particularly in obtaining a very precise or accurate adjustment, and expensive.